Homemade Engine for China's J-10C fighter jet
4 March, 2020

China’s newly built J-10C fighter jet is reportedly equipped with a domestically developed WS-10 Taihang engine and it ready to join military service. Previous J-10s were installed with Russian-made AL-31 engine.

China will no longer rely on foreign fighter jet engines and the more advanced J-20 fighter jet could also start to use homemade engines soon.

The WS-10 Taihang is China's first high-performance, high-thrust turbofan engine with intellectual property rights, Weihutang reported. The column Weihutang was referring to a video released over the weekend by Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co. Ltd. under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), which showed a J-10C fighter jet painted with Chinese military aircraft insignia taxiing on an airfield before take-off.

Some J-11B and J-16 fighter jets have been using WS-10 engines. But the two types of aircraft use two engines, while the J-10 has single-engine.

China's stealth fighter jet, J-20, which was also developed by the AVIC's Chengdu branch, could also use the WS-10 engine in the future.

China is also developing the WS-15, a more powerful turbofan engine, for the J-20, media reported. But this next-generation engine might need more time to enter service.